The IAO in the IPU Parliamentary Report on Religion & Belief

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) has undertaken an original study to produce the Parliamentary Report on Religion and Belief: Working towards more peaceful and inclusive societies. This is a one-of-its-kind study that for the first time explores the interaction of the parliamentary area with the area of religion and belief in an institutional and substantive way. Of particular importance is the honorary mention of the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy (IAO) as a reliable partner of the IPU and as one of the few international parliamentary institutions with expertise in religious issues.

The Part I of the IPU Parliamentary Report was published in June 2023 and presented at the Parliamentary Conference on Interfaith Dialogue in Marrakesh. This part is dedicated to the institutional engagement of parliaments with different aspects of religion and belief. It examines and assesses parliamentary mechanisms and activities and also highlights how parliaments promote the integration of religious issues and engage with religion and belief in a way that reflects different needs, values and parliamentary cultures. The first part refers to the historical background, statutory purposes and institutional identity of the IAO, while special mention is made of the International Political Conference organized by the IAO in collaboration with the Lebanese Parliament in Beirut in 2018 on the theme “Unity in Diversity and Fundamental Freedoms for Christians and Muslims in the Middle East. Parliamentary Dialogue Conference” (pg 31).

    IPU_Parliamentary Report on Religion & Belief_EN_Part I

The Part II of the IPU Parliamentary Report was published in June 2025 and presented at the Second Parliamentary Conference on Interfaith Dialogue in Rome. This Part explores the ways in which parliaments, and in particular parliamentarians, engage with religion and belief to promote more peaceful, just and inclusive societies. It examines how religious engagement of policymakers can contribute to upholding the rule of law, human rights and democracy, in line with the political objectives of the IPU. The added value of Part II lies in the highlighting of a plethora of good practices and examples of parliamentary and religious engagement. In this context, the IPU highlights as particularly important the recent initiatives of the IAO, such as the International Political Conference co-organised with the Conference of European Churches (CEC), the Symposium of the Bishops’ Conferences in the EU (COMECE) and the Together for Europe network on the topic “Politics as an area for expressing Christian Values in Everyday Life”, as well as the adoption of the Declaration on the Common Celebration of Easter. Reference is also made to the IAO’s inter-institutional collaborations with organizations in the Muslim World, such as the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Muslim World League (MWL) (see photos and texts on pg. 13 and 58).

    IPU_Parliamentary Report on Religion & Belief_EN_Part II

The scientific responsibility for the two parts of the IPU Parliamentary Report was held by Dr. Sarah Markiewicz, IPU Consultant on Interfaith Issues, while in the preparation of the Part II, the contribution of the IAO scientific associate, Mr. Evangelos Parras, was significant.